PDF Version - Glidewell Dental Labs
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SPEED<br />
DENTISTRY<br />
Fast Is Better — Up to a Point<br />
– ARTICLE by Ellis J. Neiburger, DDS<br />
This article will explore the concept of “speed<br />
dentistry,” the practice of doing dental treatments<br />
faster and better. In today’s world, just about<br />
everyone wants things to go faster. This need for<br />
speed extends to many aspects of our lives, including travel,<br />
food, data transmission and services. Time is money, and<br />
slower times cost more money. Many modern businesses<br />
pride themselves on — even advertise — their ability to do<br />
things rapidly and do them “right.” Be it a fast haircut, fast<br />
cost analysis, fast trades or fast dental care, society wants —<br />
even demands — rapid service and high quality. If a<br />
procedure takes less time, the individual has to spend less<br />
time on that project. Any extra time gained can then be used<br />
for doing something else, usually something considered<br />
“more important.” We have all experienced the anguish of<br />
slow food service or post office lines where the operations<br />
are done at a snail’s pace. This can be frustrating and costly,<br />
and dentistry is no exception.<br />
Even before they are seated in the dental chair, patients do<br />
not want to wait. They don’t like spending long minutes with<br />
their mouths open or in uncomfortable situations. Having<br />
an uncomfortable procedure done is more tolerable when<br />
done with speed rather than lethargy. There is no patient<br />
who would rather have a tooth extraction done slowly than<br />
with the utmost speed. Our patients expect speed, comfort<br />
and convenience. They will flock to dentists who provide<br />
these things and shun those who don’t.<br />
TAUGHT TO BE SLOW<br />
Dentists have routinely been associated with slow<br />
procedures. This is in part because a patient experiencing<br />
an emotionally charged procedure (e.g., extraction) is under<br />
stress and experiencing pain or discomfort — physically<br />
and psychologically — so time seems to go slower for the<br />
patient than it would if he were experiencing something<br />
enjoyable. Consequently, the generally held perception is<br />
that dentistry goes slowly.<br />
Modern dentistry, as done by many dentists and their staff,<br />
is often practiced slowly; that is, more slowly than it needs<br />
to be. For example, Dr. Slow is doing an occlusal amalgam.<br />
The dentist slowly sits down, chats a bit with the patient,<br />
then slowly puts on some gloves, slowly adjusts the fit,<br />
then looks at the bracket table, slowly selects a mirror and<br />
explorer, and then slowly focuses on the anxious patient’s<br />
mouth. He then looks at the record, slowly adjusts the chair<br />
Speed Dentistry: Fast Is Better — Up to a Point55